Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter when Christians remember Jesus’ joyful entry into Jerusalem and the start of Holy Week, often with palm processions, special readings, and symbolic rituals in church.

What happens on Palm Sunday?

On Palm Sunday, churches commemorate Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey while crowds spread palm branches and shouted “Hosanna,” honoring him as king. The day now also focuses on reading the “Passion” story (Jesus’ suffering and crucifixion), so the liturgy moves from joy to a more solemn, reflective mood.

Typical church activities

  • Blessing and distribution of palm branches (or other green branches where palms are not available).
  • Procession, sometimes outside the church, to reenact Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.
  • Reading of the Passion Gospel, often with different readers taking parts (narrator, Jesus, crowd, etc.).
  • People taking palms home as a blessing and often keeping them near a cross or in a prayer corner.
  • In many traditions, dried palms from the previous year are later burned to make ashes for Ash Wednesday.

Palm Sunday is considered the first day of Holy Week in many Western Christian churches and marks the final stretch of Lent leading up to Good Friday and Easter.

What does Palm Sunday commemorate?

  • Jesus’ “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem, described in all four Gospels, where he comes “humble and riding on a donkey.”
  • Crowds welcoming him with palm branches and cloaks on the road, honoring him like a victorious or royal figure.
  • The beginning of Jesus’ last week before the crucifixion, often called Passion Week.

For many Christians today, Palm Sunday is a reminder to welcome Christ into their lives and to stay faithful even when the mood shifts from celebration to suffering later in the week.

Traditions around the world

Different countries and church traditions add their own customs:

  • Spain (especially parts of Catalonia): Processions with a figure of Jesus riding on a donkey, sometimes using a real donkey carrying a statue.
  • Ethiopia (Hosanna): Colorful processions, special hymns and prayers, and people waving greenery to celebrate Jesus’ entry.
  • The Levant (Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria): Very well‑attended family liturgies with children carrying olive and palm branches, woven crosses, and processions where the priest sprinkles holy water with an olive branch.
  • Many Catholic parishes worldwide: Outdoor or courtyard procession with palms, singing hymns like “Ride on, ride on in majesty!”, then entering the church for Mass.

Across these customs, the core idea is the same: celebrating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem while already looking ahead to his suffering and resurrection.

TL;DR: On Palm Sunday, Christians bless and wave palm branches, join in processions, and hear the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and his Passion, marking the solemn beginning of Holy Week.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.